Trump, Reeling from Election Night, Tightens Focus on Midterms

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Democratic candidates won top-tier and down-ballot races around the country by focusing on cost-of-living issues that dominate voters’ attention. That revealed the risks of Trump’s freewheeling style; the president’s attention the last few weeks has been on negotiations with China, meetings with foreign leaders and his White House renovations. 

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It also served as a reminder that Trump’s supporters don’t necessarily vote when he is not on the ballot, a problem Republicans will have to confront again next year.

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Trump’s reaction also underscored that he may not be Republicans’ most helpful midterm messenger. This week, he declared on social media that “the Democrats ‘affordability’ issue is dead,” even as his advisers acknowledged the need to focus more on lower prices. 

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Other Republicans warned voters could punish the party again if leaders downplay their concerns.

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“There is an affordability issue,” said Representative Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican who is not running for reelection. “Gas prices are down, but most people at the supermarket aren’t seeing any improvement.” 

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Recent polls show an unhappy electorate, an encouraging sign for Democrats’ chances to win back the narrowly divided House of Representatives. Trump’s approval rating stood at 37% and his disapproval at 63%, according to a CNN poll released this week. Surveys also show Democratic voters are more energized than Republicans heading into the midterms. 

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“The Democratic Party is full steam ahead to take back Congress next year,” Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said this week on a call with reporters.

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Shutdown Politics

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The government shutdown is also driving public frustration, as federal workers miss paychecks, food aid is delayed and flights have been canceled. Polling shows Republicans are shouldering more of the blame, but Trump has refused to meet with Democrats to negotiate a compromise. Instead, he has called on Republicans to abolish the filibuster to reopen the government, despite leaders’ insistence they lack the votes.

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Still, Trump allies argue he has some clear advantages going into 2026 that he did not have in 2018. He has consolidated Republicans around his agenda, Democratic opposition still has not matched the energy following Trump’s surprise 2016 win and he has raised immense sums of money through Trump-associated political action committees. 

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Some Republicans also said that this week’s results weren’t representative of the country as a whole because they largely came in Democratic states and their party was plagued by weak candidates. 

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The GOP-aligned Senate Leadership Fund sent a memo to donors, reviewed by Bloomberg News, which argued that while Democrats did better than expected this week, they over-performed in Democratic states that Trump lost in 2024. Looking ahead to the midterms, it said that Senate Republicans have winning candidates in Trump-won states and that they are in a strong position to hold the chamber.

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Trump took a relatively hands-off approach to this year’s contests. He did not campaign in person in New Jersey or Virginia with Republican gubernatorial candidates, instead opting for virtual rallies. Trump’s vocal opposition to democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani helped fuel his winning campaign for New York City mayor, though the president’s party is also poised to use the mayor-elect as a foil.

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“The decision facing all Americans could not be more clear. We have a choice between communism and common sense,” Trump said Wednesday at an event in Miami.